Fall - my favourite time of year. Tourists have left town, humidity and heat dissipated, and the spicy perfumes moved to the front line.
Mark's list:
1. Cuir de Russie (Chanel) - When those cold nights close in, you will want to be curled up by the stone fireplace, your furs tossed aside, eating Beluga caviar and tossing back shots of iced Moskovskaya with your consort. Or you could just buy a bottle of Cuir de Russie and imagine the rest. Flowers, leather and something a little dirty.
2. Dzing! (L'Artisan Parfumeur ) - If dacha life is not for you, and you prefer to wander with the gypsy caravans beneath the lowering skies, Dzing! supplies the animals, the bedding and the well-worn leather boots and fittings.
3. Labdanum 18 (Le Labo ) - Maybe you would prefer to spend the Fall in a bordello? Sweet and intoxicating labdanum, vanilla and patchouli with a dark animal undercurrent of civet, castoreum and musk. Bang a Gong!
4. Fumerie Turque (Serge Lutens) - If Topkapi Palace is more your speed, recline on sumptuous pillows and breathe the combined aromas of tobacco, currants, honey, rose, jasmine and styrax... let the narghilè bubble your troubles away.
5. Timbuktu (L'Artisan Parfumeur ) - Perhaps you have had enough of all this decadence, these dark, warm, close spaces with their animal smells covered in sweet resins. Leave the cities and go to the desert; light incense outside a rude hut, and stand in the stream of smoke, in the wind, and feel the lonely exhilaration of the ascetic. Dust, incense, spices and sparse vegetation...
6. Shalimar (Guerlain ) - Last stop on the Orient Express. If you can handle the baggage, this is the classiest ride going. Bergamot and vanilla usher you in, and iris and civet will seduce you before you reach your destination, wherever it may be...
Dane's list:
1. Pour Monsieur (Chanel) & Mitsouko (Guerlain) - I group these two together because they share so much in common. Classic chypres with bitter topnotes and dusty oakmoss drydowns. I admit I wear these all year round, but on cooler days, these are my standbys.
2. Bois Farine (L'Artisan Parfumeur) - Nutty, warm bread. My comfort food comes in a bottle.
3. Iris Silver Mist - Cold, rooty and brisk. To me, this is what Fall smells like. I try to wear this in the warmer months, but it just doesn't work as well as on cool, grey days.
4. Avignon (Comme des Garcons) - A newer love that's perfect in cool weather. Starck, bare, and lonely.
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